


A Trickle of Happiness

by RaijinFenrir



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Black Eagles Route!, Edelgard tries to wingman and fails, F/F, Fluff/Comfort, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-09 17:50:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20998886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaijinFenrir/pseuds/RaijinFenrir
Summary: “You could just ask her for dinner.” Edelgard spoke. “There’s no harm in inviting her out. Plus, it’s your birthday. You deserve to be happy today.”“Oh I don’t know Edie, I’m sure she’s tired and I don’t want to stress her out.” She could ask Ingrid to spend time with her in another day. There were plenty of other opportunities, it didn’t have to be today. She was used to horrible birthday celebrations anyway.





	A Trickle of Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> This was certainly delayed by weeks but it's supposedly a birthday fic for our personal best girl, Dorothea Arnault! So, Happy Birthday to Dorothea even if it is very late. Also, this fic is for a few new friends that also likes Dorothea and Ingrid! You guys know who you are!

**Day 29 of the Horsebow Moon**

To say that this month had been troublesome was an understatement. The whole monastery had been in an uproar due to Flayn’s disappearance with all three houses banding together in order to figure out her whereabouts. It took them a great deal of time perhaps almost a whole day wasted in search of her whereabouts, if not for Manuela then perhaps they could have been too late.

Ingrid went about her tasks for the week with a hint of worry apparent on her face. Somehow, she couldn’t help but feel that the worst has yet to come. The Flame Emperor’s appearance? Flayn’s abduction? The Western Church’s rebellion? It was as if everything that had happened during the last six months was only the tip of the iceberg. Ingrid could only sigh and mentally berated herself for constantly overthinking such things. This was why Sylvain always pegged her to be a worrywart.

Speaking of Sylvain, where was he? She was so sure that Sylvain was supposed to be her partner for this week’s task. He might be a fool but Sylvain was never late for their weekly tasks.

“Where in the world is he?” Ingrid wondered out loud to which her pegasus had only replied with a neigh. “Yes, thank you for the very useful answer Ventus.”

Oh, she didn’t mean to be so annoyed with her pegasus today but recent events had barely given her time to relax and relieve all the pent-up stress that she felt. She apologetically looked at her steed and gently petted its forehead. Ventus greedily rubbed itself against her hand; its annoyance placated by the gesture.

“I see Ventus is still a glutton for affection.”

Ingrid heard a familiar voice and quickly turned around in order to address its owner. Surprise evident on her face.

“Dorothea! What brings you here?” 

Out of all the people she expected to drop by the stables Dorothea was certainly not one of them. The enchanting brunette mostly spent her time in the company of various individuals either at the dining hall or in the town right beyond the gates of Garreg Mach. Not only that, it was rare for Dorothea to wear armor let alone be caught walking around the monastery without her signature black cap.

“And… you’re all geared up? I’m sorry, did I miss a memo from our class? Did we suddenly receive a mission?” 

Ingrid was troubled. It was obvious from the way her eyebrows were furrowed and the scowl that once again graced her face. It wouldn’t surprise her if she forgot something as important as another designated mission for their class but that didn’t mean that she was happy about it. To forget about something so easily meant that such a thing was never important to you in the first place, at least that’s what Ingrid believed in. It was why even after all these years she still couldn’t forget what had happened at Duscur and what she had lost. 

“There you go again. How many times must I remind you that a smile fits a pretty gal like you more than a scowl.”

Dorothea lightly chuckled and moved a bit closer in order to stroke Ventus’ mane. The pegasus seemed satisfied with such an action and went as far as nudging Dorothea’s cheek with its muzzle.

“A lot of times. No, but really Dorothea please answer the question.”

Ingrid herself wore her armor today but only because she had been tasked to patrol the skies with her pegasus. Sylvain was supposed to be her partner but the troublesome skirt-chaser was nowhere to be found. As far as she remembered the professor never gave a task for Dorothea at least for this week so she found it fairly odd and worrisome that the girl was geared for battle.

“If it’s not for class would you like me to escort you? Patrol won’t take long for today and if you’re willing to wait I can accompany you” Ingrid quickly offered to Dorothea before she could even answer.

“Oh… wow, that was such a sudden offer.” Dorothea was rarely at a loss for words but Ingrid seemed to always have a way to make her forget what she’s supposed to say. She was quite aware of the faint blush on her cheeks, it was impossible not to be embarrassed, considering that it was such a bold offer. Then again, Ingrid had always been such a straightforward woman. It was one of the things that Dorothea liked about her.

“If it’s still available for later then certainly I’d want you to accompany me around town.” Dorothea smiled as she pulled away from the pegasus much to the creature’s dismay.

“As for your question don’t worry my darling Ingrid your memory and attention span are sharper than Sylvain’s or Ferdie’s. There’s no memo but we did receive a surprise assignment although it’s more of a personal favor of Sylvain’s rather than an assignment.”

The young heir of House Gautier recently received a letter from his father asking him to return home and clean up the mess that Miklan had left behind. Remnants of his brother’s band of bandits had reformed and were causing trouble up north. Not to mention that his father’s instructions were suspicious, asking Sylvain to go and handle it alone. After consulting with the professor and gaining their assistance, Sylvain had gone around the monastery earlier asking some of their classmates to join and help him out. Of course, Sylvain also asked Dorothea to come but before she could even agree the professor shook their head and told her to stay and take his place as Ingrid’s partner.

Funny how their dear professor seemed to be playing matchmaker for her. She was sure that Edelgard must have been the one who had given the professor a hint about it. The Imperial princess may not seem interested in the affairs of her friends on the outside but her close confidants knew otherwise. That girl worries about her friends more than she lets on. To think, Dorothea already told her that her troubles with love shouldn’t be something the future emperor of the empire should bother herself with.

“His father asked him to deal with bandits within House Gautier’s lands. The professor and the others are already on their way. That’s why I’m here, I’m supposed to be substituting for Sylvain…” 

Dorothea paused and observed Ingrid’s initial reaction. As expected the future knight wasn’t pleased to hear the news. Dorothea easily noticed it from the way her eyebrows creased even more if that were even possible, the way Ingrid subtly clenched her fists in order to calm herself down, and the way the light in her eyes had dimmed once she had realized that Sylvain never bothered to ask for her assistance. 

“I see… so they’ve left already.” Ingrid folded her arms below her chest and looked away from Dorothea.

It was clear that she was bothered by it. Dorothea could see right through her so much so that Ingrid would never be capable of hiding anything from her. It was both a boon and a curse, because she knew that if something ever bothered the girl then Dorothea was well aware that she herself would do everything she could in order to comfort her.

Just like now, she could have spent the time patrolling the skies in ignorance with Ingrid. Instead, here she was about to bring additional headache for Byleth on such short notice.

“Yes, but if a certain courageous warrior would like to offer their aid then maybe they could skip out on patrol and oh… I don’t know, fly to the northern lands of the kingdom and crash Sylvain’s little expedition.” Dorothea had a knowing smile on her face. Of course, she wasn’t going to force Ingrid to go, at least not yet. Dorothea was just here to present Ingrid a few choices that she normally wouldn’t consider if left to her own devices.

“It wouldn’t be proper to shirk my duty just to go after them.” Ingrid shook her head, even though she wanted to go it felt wrong to do so. Her current duty was to patrol the skies of Garreg Mach not to go after her childhood friend just because she was incredibly worried for him and slightly slighted by the lack of an invitation.

“My darling Ingrid, you told me before that you wanted to become a knight.” Dorothea stated to which Ingrid merely nodded.

“Well isn’t it a knight’s duty to help those in need? I’m sure Alois would understand if we don’t show up for patrol especially if the professor would explain it to him when we get back.”

“Sorry, did you say  **we** ?” Ingrid finally looked back at Dorothea, confusion written all over her face.

“What? You don’t think I’m going to let my armor go to waste? This breastplate isn’t just for show you know.” Dorothea gestured towards herself. She rarely wore armor that much was true since she often found it cumbersome to wear but after Ferdinand had nagged her far too much about its importance she finally decided to use one more frequently.

“I was under the impression that you greatly dislike dealing with such things.” Ingrid knew that Dorothea expressed distaste for violence and unnecessary bloodshed. While the girl wouldn't hesitate to slice a man’s throat she knew that Dorothea would try and look for a more peaceful resolution.

"I do but I also dislike turning a blindeye to those in need." Dorothea headed towards the stables and whistled. A slightly stockier pegasus answered her call and Dorothea didn't hesitate to shower it with pets. The pegasus happily neighed and indulged itself with Dorothea's affections for it.

"I missed you too Thorin. Too bad I couldn't sneak you in when we rescued Flayn you would have loved trampling those bastards."

Dorothea had a big smile on her face and just the mere sight of it was enough to melt the annoyance Ingrid had felt. Truth be told, she never would have pegged for the two of them to get along. They were far too different. Dorothea used to be the star of a well known opera company back in Enbarr while she herself was just a child fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to be born into a noble family with a crest. Under normal circumstances, their paths would never have crossed but the Officer’s Academy seemed to have a knack for intertwining the fates of the unlikeliest of individuals.

Their friendship started with a simple invitation. Dorothea invited her to watch a small opera production that she’d be starring in inside the monastery. As much as she wanted to accept Dorothea’s invitation, Ingrid herself felt as if she’d just ruin the whole affair. She had never been the type to partake in such events; she would rather ride on a steed across the fields or devote her time to training. Ingrid would rather not embarrass herself with her lack of experience in that particular department. To her surprise however, Dorothea had been rather insistent going so far as offering to help her dress up for the affair. Ingrid never understood why she didn’t have the heart to refuse Dorothea on that day and she certainly didn’t regret it.

The day of the opera came and Dorothea had to admit that Ingrid was by far someone incredibly unbelievable for her. The songstress couldn’t believe how a beautiful girl like her never even had any experience in properly dressing herself up. As Dorothea had expressed ‘it was the basic of the basics’ and Ingrid knew nothing about it. Ingrid was embarrassed for the most part but she was grateful that Dorothea took the time to at least try and see to it that she wouldn’t be a lost cause.

After that, they started spending more time together and things just escalated from there. Dorothea would either take her to town and buy all sorts of accessories for her hair or haul Ingrid towards her room and style her hair. Meanwhile, Ingrid found herself choosing Dorothea as a frequent sparring partner and helping the brunette around when it came to riding pegasi. Through time, their friendship had deepened up to the point that both had become increasingly protective of one another. Ingrid remembered their most recent adventure, one of her suitors dared to kidnap her and if it weren’t for Dorothea and Byleth she would have ended up married to a sleazy merchant.

Ingrid had to admit that they were the unlikeliest of friends yet she didn’t seem to mind how it had all progressed.

“My oh my, have my charms finally worked on you now?” Dorothea lightly chuckled before she gave Ingrid another soft smile. “You’ve been staring at me for a few minutes is my face that pleasant to look at?”

Ingrid quickly looked away embarrassed with her actions. She didn’t notice that she had been staring at Dorothea for a while. It was certainly unbecoming of her and now she paid the price with Dorothea’s rather obvious teasing.

“I was just… lost in thought.” That certainly wasn’t a lie. Ingrid just didn’t want to admit that certain thought had involved Dorothea. “And yes, your face is pleasant to look at… I mean you’re certainly beautiful and…”

Oh no, she was certainly stumbling with her words. In fact, Ingrid had absolutely no idea why she suddenly said all of those things. Ingrid wanted to lock herself inside her room and just pretend this never happened. Dorothea was certainly taken aback by the compliments, it wasn’t everyday that Ingrid would play along her antics. Yet, it made her heart aflutter just hearing it from Ingrid.

“Seems Sylvain is rubbing off on you.” Dorothea once again teased but the shade of red on her cheeks had darkened. She fixed her sword belt and mounted her steed. “I suppose we’ve spent enough time for chit-chat. We can’t let them have all the fun now can we?”

Ingrid could only sigh at that remark. 

“Please no.” The last thing she wanted was for Sylvain’s flirtish remarks to rub off on her. “I never even agreed to go after them.”

"Ingrid, if you never wanted to go after them you would have never entertained the thought."

Oh, Dorothea knew her so well that it almost seemed futile to ever try and convince her otherwise. Ingrid clicked her tongue and grabbed ahold of Luin, the relic that had been entrusted to House Galatea, a spear that was once wielded by the hero Daphnel. It was a relic that had been passed down for generations within their house and now it was hers to use. Ingrid disliked using it frequently fearing that what had happened to Miklan would happen to her as well however this weapon was her birthright she had to get used to it sooner or later, even though it had brought her nothing but nightmares.

“Ingrid?” Dorothea asked, voice filled with concern. “Is something wrong?”

“No. Everything’s fine. Let’s go.” Ingrid didn’t want to bother Dorothea anymore with her problems. She quickly mounted Ventus and snapped its reins beckoning it to take to the skies. Dorothea followed suit and the two of them hastily made their way to the frigid lands of the kingdom. With luck, they may even arrive there before the fighting would start.

* * *

Sylvain had been wise in asking their professor for assistance. The thieves had proven to be troublesome and garrisoned themselves within different areas of the town. As expected, none of his father’s troops had offered them aid. To think, his father was mad enough to let him deal with this plague alone.

“I thought it’d be easy but here we are, still fighting.” Sylvain complained to himself.

They had been fighting for almost an hour now. They had taken care of the bandits within the eastern and southern sectors of the city but the ones in the western and northern sectors proved to be more troublesome. How did his father even expect him to single-handedly take care of this? If he didn’t know any better he’d say that his father was trying to murder him. Then again, his father’s trials had always been borderline mad to begin with. Sylvain had no idea what this test was for but he wanted to finish this already.

One of the bandits recklessly charged towards him and Sylvain could only frown at his pitiful attempt. These men were once his brother’s men, he had offered them sanctuary if they surrendered but instead they chose to fight. It was certainly foolish and downright stupid but Fodlan never was a merciful place to begin with. Sylvain quickly turned his steed towards the bandit and charged towards him as well. Without even breaking a sweat his lance easily pierced the bandit’s chest before he could even land a strike against him. Blood colored the streets and it was blood shed for a fruitless cause.

“Sylvain! Look out!” Ingrid called from the skies. Her pegasus quickly darted towards another bandit that tried to sneak from behind. Luin easily pierced through his feeble frame letting the relic be once again bathed in blood. Ingrid frowned as she pulled out the spear and the man’s lifeless body slumped on the ground. She should be used to such violence but each kill made her heart grow weary. But she’ll shove all those thoughts away for now she had to turn her attention towards her fool of a friend.

“Ingrid?! Wh-what are you even doing here?” Sylvain was baffled. Nevermind that he almost got struck down by a bandit. Ingrid had swooped down from the heavens and that was something he never expected. As far as he remembered he never invited the girl as per their professor’s request.

“Fixing your mess, as always.” Ingrid confidently declared before she once again took to the skies, ready to follow Sylvain. “We’ll talk about this later. I’ll help you get rid of the bandits.”

“Why does it sound like I’m actually in trouble?” Sylvain shook his head before he spurred his steed towards one of the barricades. Felix and Annette were supposedly in charge of it but Sylvain hadn’t heard a word from them since they took off. Not that he was actually worried about Felix but Annette was a whole different matter, he hoped Felix doesn’t forget how to care about his comrades not everyone can match their pace with his.

“That’s because you are.” Ingrid beckoned her pegasus to follow Sylvain. The streets were riddled with bodies that belonged to both rogue and innocent alike. To think that it would escalate to this in such a short span of time.

“So… how’d you figure out that we were here?” Sylvain tried to make some small talk as he drove his lance towards another unfortunate brigand that blocked his path.

“Dorothea. She told me where you were, honestly you should thank her or else you would have ended up as part of the body count.” Ingrid swooped down on an unsuspecting archer on the rooftops, letting them fall to their doom. 

From atop she could see the battlefield with ease. The barricades to the west were indeed being dealt with by Felix and Annette but it seems that they were struggling against the sheer number of brigands that tried to stop them. Ashe and Mercedes were already on their way to provide assistance just as they were. It was funny how almost all of them had transferred to Byleth’s class but their dear professor just had this charisma that attracted almost everyone. To the north, she spotted a familiar pegasus up in the skies which most likely belonged to Dorothea and Ingrid could only hope that the girl was safe.

Ingrid lightly slapped herself. She didn’t have time to be distracted she was sure that Dorothea was capable of protecting herself plus, if their dear professor wasn’t here then that meant she would be in charge in the siege up north. Ingrid was sure that Byleth could protect Dorothea in case things went awry. Without another word Ingrid pulled the reins and urged Ventus to dive right behind the barricade and make her presence known to the rest of their class.

“Oh! There’s Ingrid!” Annette pointed out to Felix while they fought back-to-back against the brigands that surrounded them.

“Stop paying attention to everyone else and focus on who’s in front of you.” 

Felix berated her though he had to admit Ingrid had impeccable timing with her causing havoc within the barricade it would be easier to get rid of it now considering reinforcements won’t be able to stop them. Felix slashed at the enemy in front of him, easily slipping his blade through his defenses. Annette followed through, slicing his other companions using sharp gales of wind. As if on cue, Sylvain also appeared from behind and trampled one of the bandits with his steed while the other met their untimely demise at the end of his lance.

“That was a close one wasn’t it?” Sylvain smiled at the two. “So, about that barricade. Come on let’s break through it so we can help our resident  _ knight _ who recklessly dove in on a place swarming with enemies.”

“Right! I’ll blast that barricade apart.” Annette was quick to respond now that there weren’t many enemies left she can finally finish casting her spell with ease. Bright light appeared in front of her and arrows of light flew towards the barricade and finally brought it down. From there, they could see Ingrid fending off some of the brigands although it seemed she had bitten more than she can chew.

“Must I be surrounded by reckless idiots.” Felix complained before he charged towards the brigands in order to help Ingrid. Sylvain followed suit, breaking through their sloppy ranks with his steed.

“You know, Felix complains a lot about Ingrid and Sylvain but he helps them anyway.” Ashe commented after he had arrived alongside Mercedes. He swiftly fired an arrow towards a bandit that appeared behind Annette.

“Well, that’s because they are such good friends. Felix just doesn’t know how to express himself very well.” Mercedes commented before she fired an arrow towards another brigand that came their way. Oh, why must they continue this futile struggle? They could have just surrendered instead they made the town their battlefield and so many lives had been lost.

“Ashe! Mercie! I’m glad you two are fine.” Annette felt a wave of relief wash over her as they arrived. It always brought her unease whenever they fought separately. At least they won’t be part of the body count later.

“Would the three of you stop chit-chatting, the battlefield isn’t for gossip.” Felix exclaimed as he thrusted his blade into another brigand’s gut. Ingrid followed Felix’ example and drove her spear towards another group of bandits while Sylvain cuts down another one. The fighting seemed endless but they were thinning out their numbers. At the rate they were going, it was only a matter of time before they cleared this sector.

Meanwhile in the northern sector, Byleth and Edelgard had assumed command of the others that accompanied them. They fared relatively better compared to the other group. With Byleth’s tactics they managed to break through the barricade but Caspar was reckless to a fault and had gotten a few injuries but nothing life-threatening. However, it was enough for Byleth to call for a pause on their siege in order for Linhardt to properly attend to it. Bernadetta and Hubert guarded the duo, firing arrows and spells alike towards the rogues that tried to engage them while they recuperated. Ferdinand and Petra hunted down a few stragglers within the other sectors. Edelgard was near the broken barricade with Byleth, dealing with rogues that tried to launch an ambush on them.

Honestly, these bandits were nothing but rabble for the both of them. Byleth expertly carved through their opponents using her blade while Edelgard easily smashed through their ranks with a cleave of her axe. To think, they would dare raise their weapons against them. It was a pity that it had to come this way, Edelgard knew that this could have been avoided if Miklan had never been disowned by the Gautiers. Yet another example of why this archaic system had to go. Edelgard had been too engrossed with the enemy in front of her that she didn’t notice another rogue had snuck from behind.

“Edelgard, behind you!” Byleth called out and smashed the back of her hand against the bandit right next to her. Byleth clicked her tongue and started to run towards Edelgard, even if she extended her sword, she wouldn’t be able to make it with how far she was from her. Still she had to try and get there in time.

Edelgard turned around and quickly raised her axe in order to defend herself. While she managed to somewhat block the blow, the attack itself had been enough to disarm her. She quickly tried to unsheathe her sword but the brigand’s swing had been faster. Edelgard watched as the blade descended towards her. It surely would have left a mark if a pegasus didn’t swoop down from above and kicked the enemy away. That had given Byleth enough time to be in the perfect range to send her segmented sword towards the brigand, swiftly ending his life before he could even gain his bearings.

“Oh what would you do without me, Edie.” Dorothea chuckled.

“Most likely have a quieter life.” Edelgard replied before she picked up her axe and swung it towards an enemy that had followed Dorothea, killing them in one fell swoop. “Now we’re even.”

“Dorothea, Edelgard are the two of you alright?” Of course Byleth was baffled by Dorothea’s arrival. As far as she remembered she didn’t allow Sylvain to invite the girl and specifically told Dorothea to take over Sylvain’s duties for the day solely for the purpose of allowing her to spend time with Ingrid.

“Yes, professor. I apologize for being careless I didn’t mean to make you worry.” Edelgard curtly responded although it was clear on her face that she appreciated Byleth’s concern over the two of them.

“Hello to you too professor, sorry to ruin this little matchmaking scheme that the two of you had but duty called and our lady knight had to answer.” Dorothea gave a wry smile towards the two women. Edelgard in particular gave her a stern look to which she merely reacted with a shrug.

“I couldn’t hide it from her and I could never lie to Ingrid.” Dorothea never really could knowingly lie to Ingrid. Plus, even though she wanted to spend time with the girl she wouldn’t be able to enjoy it knowing that the others were risking their lives without the two of them. “I had no choice, I had to tell her where all of you were. As expected she didn’t take it too well so I offered to play hooky with her and rushed here to help you. So here we are and right on time too.”

“Dorothea…” Edelgard could only sigh at Dorothea’s explanation. While she understood Dorothea’s sentiments that didn’t mean she wasn’t slightly disappointed, after all she was the one who had told Byleth to pair them up instead of letting Sylvain invite them to this little mission. She knew how much Dorothea wanted to spend her birthday with Ingrid and as a friend she wanted this day to at least fill Dorothea with glee rather than dread. Clearly, her plan didn’t work out and now the songstress would have to settle with killing bandits as her birthday celebration.

“Oh, don’t give me that look Edie. My birthday is hardly important.” And Dorothea fully believed it with all her heart. 

“Your birthday should be celebrated properly, not like this.” Byleth commented to which Dorothea could only sigh at.

“Professor, you and Edie are like two peas in a pod.” It was oddly funny and entertaining to watch the Imperial princess’ cheeks be almost as red as a tomato. Dorothea was sure that Edelgard was going to get back at her for all the teasing she’d done to the poor girl one of these days. “I appreciate the sentiment but trust me there’s nothing worth celebrating.”

Byleth looked at Edelgard and the young house leader of the Black Eagles simply shook her head. As much as Edelgard wanted to disagree with Dorothea now wasn’t exactly the place nor time to do so. She’ll think of something later for Dorothea, perhaps they’d settle with some much needed tea time once they’re done with the bandits.

“Since you’re here we can finish this quickly and regroup with Sylvain.” Byleth originally ordered for their group to recuperate given that Caspar had gotten himself injured but with Dorothea arriving that had once again tipped the scales towards their favor. “Dorothea, how confident are you and your pegasus.”

Edelgard noticed the look Byleth had given her. Oh, she dreaded that look of hers one that reminded her of Claude whenever he had a little scheme under his boots. To make things worse she asked Dorothea about her skills as a flier. Edelgard wasn’t a coward on the battlefield but she preferred to keep her feet on the ground, especially if the flier she’d be partnered with was Dorothea.

“Oh don’t worry about us professor, me and Thorin are in tip-top condition.” Dorothea lightly patted her pegasus and it excitedly buckled in turn. “See? He’s very excited to prove himself.”

“Good enough for me. Our strategy is simple, we’ll deal with them using a pincer attack. Dorothea take Edelgard with you and wait for my signal, there are only a few bandits left at the other side of that broken barricade so it shouldn’t be a problem for the three of us. I’ll charge ahead and draw their attention towards me and once I have it swoop down for an ambush.” 

Byleth was confident that it would work but Edelgard certainly had her doubts about it, especially if it involved her being with Dorothea on a pegasus. Still, Edelgard would just have to trust their professor.

“If Thorin bucks me off I swear…” Edelgard glared at the pegasus. Oh, this wasn’t the first time she had met this particular troublemaker. The last time she had mounted it along with Dorothea the pegasus bucked her off for reasons unknown.

“He’ll behave for today. Ain’t that right Thorin?” Dorothea chuckled and helped Edelgard mount the pegasus. 

True to their word, Thorin didn’t make a fuss and behaved much to Edelgard’s relief. God knows she would lock herself up inside her room out of sheer embarrassment if Byleth should see her unceremoniously thrown off a pegasus. Once Dorothea felt that Edelgard was ready she snapped the reins and Thorin took to the skies. Byleth watched them for a few seconds before she rushed towards the broken barricade.

Only a few rogues were left within the other side of the barricade and as expected they were already trying to escape when Byleth had arrived. Immediately she drew her sword and attacked the closest enemy, easily taking them down with one strike. Some of the bandits feared her at first and froze in place but upon realizing that she was alone, they soon found their courage and were quick to engage their isolated foe. Little do they know that Byleth wanted for this to happen; their complete attention was now towards her and that had enabled her two students to sneak up on them from behind.

“Now!” Byleth shouted and in response a blur of white swooped down from the skies, throwing the bandits in a state of panic from the surprise attack. Edelgard quickly jumped off the pegasus as soon as it was safe to do so and slammed the blade of her axe against one of the bandits. Dorothea followed suit, cutting another foe down using her blade. The bandits were in complete disarray and from there on out they all became easy pickings for the three of them.

Caspar was the first to voice their complaint once the battle was over. He desperately wanted to be in the frontlines until the end. Byleth merely shook their head and patted Caspar’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. The whole endeavor took longer than they expected and almost everyone was exhausted. Sylvain bowed in apology towards his classmates. He didn’t expect the situation to be that bad.

“I’ll definitely make it up to all of you. Go on ahead without us, I still need to tell my old man about what happened.” Sylvain said before he left with Felix to report their victory to his father. 

“You heard Sylvain, once everyone’s prepared let’s head on home.” Byleth mounted her steed and the rest soon followed. It was a long journey back to the monastery but if they hurry they could make it before dinner was served. 

Dorothea looked towards Ingrid’s direction contemplating on what she should do. On one hand she still had a chance to invite the girl for dinner outside of the monastery and perhaps allow herself to actually enjoy her birthday but in another she could just let the girl be. After all, the fighting would have tired her out and Dorothea didn’t want to bother Ingrid too much with her presence.

“You could just ask her for dinner.” Edelgard spoke. “There’s no harm in inviting her out. Plus, it’s your birthday. You deserve to be happy today.”

“Oh I don’t know Edie, I’m sure she’s tired and I don’t want to stress her out.” She could ask Ingrid to spend time with her in another day. There were plenty of other opportunities, it didn’t have to be today. She was used to horrible birthday celebrations anyway. 

“Plus, I’m used to this.”

“You shouldn’t be used to it.” Edelgard sighed, why must most of her friends be incredibly stubborn in the worst ways possible. Then again, birds of the same feather flock together. Dorothea could say the same to Edelgard when it came to stubbornness and pride. 

“If you’re up for it, let’s have a little drink back in my room. I’m sure Hubert can procure your favorite wine from the dining hall with relative ease.” Edelgard offered. This was the best compromise she could come up with, it wasn’t exactly a celebration but she would at least like for Dorothea to feel that she appreciated her existence.

“That would be lovely, Edie…” Dorothea genuinely smiled at Edelgard before her eyes darted back towards Ingrid. Yes, maybe she’d just ask her some other time. Whenever that opportunity would come. 

“I’ll drop by your room after dinner. For now, I’ll go on ahead I think I need some time for myself.” Dorothea signalled for her pegasus to depart, leaving Edelgard to watch the brunette slowly fade away from her line of sight. Edelgard’s eyes darted towards Ingrid who was far too busy to notice that Dorothea had left and Edelgard could only hope that one day she’d come to realize Dorothea’s affections for her. 

* * *

That had been one of the most exhausting missions for Ingrid to date. As soon as they arrived back at the monastery she quickly headed to her room in order to take a quick nap. She had expected herself to wake up before dinner was served but her body simply refused to cooperate. Instead, she was taken hostage by slumber.

Lately, Ingrid feared sleeping for more than a few hours. Her dreams often turned into nightmares, one that felt far too real to simply be categorized as such. But it wasn’t as if she had any choice to begin with, the fatigue she felt finally got the better of her and now here she was trapped inside another nightmare.

This time she found herself in the monastery at least what was left of it. The heat of the flames that surrounded her almost felt unbearable and the smoke made it hard to breathe. In her hands was the relic she now wielded in the name of House Galatea, Luin. It was a weapon that was once wielded by Daphnel, One of the Elites that was said to have battled alongside St. Seiros. As always it was bathed in blood but as to whose blood it was she didn’t know nor would she like to find out.

As she aimlessly walked within the ruins of the monastery she could recognize a few familiar faces but she’d never get to hear their voices again. Not in this nightmare where they were all perpetually silenced. By who? She didn’t know, she dreaded to know because all of them had the same kind of wound, one that perfectly fits the shape of the spear she held. She saw them all, Sylvain, Felix, Mercedes, Annette, and Ashe were all accounted for. Ironic, considering she had fought alongside them just a few hours ago. 

Ingrid was scared, she recognized this feeling all too well. Out on the battlefield she was courageous but within the confines of her thoughts fear sometimes took ahold of her in more ways than one. For this nightmare though what made her fear all of this was the fact that she didn’t seem to be in control of her own body. As she continued to trudge through the monastery’s grounds she felt herself slowly become an observer towards a person whose body closely resembled hers.

She saw herself crouch down in pain as the crest stone from her relic started to be enveloped with a mysterious black slime. It was similar to what she had witnessed when they had gone after Miklan. House Gautier’s Heroes’ Relic, the Lance of Ruin, turned Miklan into a monster and the very same thing seemed to be happening to her within this nightmare. Slowly she found it harder to breathe as the crest stone violently glowed and the black slime started to latch itself onto her body. She tried to pry it off to no avail. The panic and fear she felt multiplied with each passing second. She wanted to wake up now, she absolutely had to wake up. She didn’t want to find out what could possibly happen next.

“Ingrid!” Someone familiar had called out to her and she dreaded what was about to happen next. Of all the people that could possibly have come upon her it had to be Dorothea. The last thing she witnessed was a demonic beast grabbing ahold of the brunette and Ingrid had screamed so loud that the whole monastery could have heard it.

Ingrid woke up drenched in cold sweat. She tried to catch her breath in order to calm herself down. She instinctively puts her hand over her chest where her heart had to be. Its beating was erratic that much she could tell. Her eyes quickly darted towards her surroundings, nothing seemed to be amiss. The only thing that bothered her was the sight of her lance, propped against the wall. Glimpses of her nightmare flashed within her mind and Igrid just wanted to forget about it.

“Ingrid?” The same voice that she had heard a few seconds ago resounded in the air and for a moment she had thought that she was back within the nightmare. Of course, that wasn’t true, she was back in her bed and not in the monastery’s grounds.

“Ingrid, I heard a scream. Is everything alright?” Dorothea asked. Come to think of it, what was Dorothea doing within the second floor of the dormitory? As far as Ingrid remembered, Dorothea’s room was within the first floor right next to Bernadetta’s.

“Y-yes! Everything’s… everything’s fine, Dorothea.” Though Ingrid would have to admit that didn’t sound as convincing as she wanted it to be. And she knew that Dorothea would have noticed such a thing.

“That so? Then you wouldn’t mind if I came in just to check if it’s true.”

Ah, Ingrid expected this reaction. Dorothea had always been stubborn and if she tried to dissuade her it would only make Dorothea worry about her more. Ingrid took one deep breath and mustered the strength to get out of her bead and opened the door. Suffice to say, she wasn't fully prepared to face her at all. 

Dorothea was beautiful. Ingrid was very aware of that fact and lately she often found herself stunned by the girl's appearances in more ways than one. Tonight was no different; when she opened the door Ingrid momentarily forgot to breathe.

She was absolutely stunning. Under the moonlight her beauty almost seemed ethereal. Ingrid found herself enthralled by the vibrant emerald hue of her eyes. Her cheeks were slightly flushed but that only added to her charm. Dorothea heavily leaned against the doorframe, letting Ingrid have an unhinged view of her unbuttoned blouse. Who even allowed Dorothea to be this attractive? What made it worse was that Ingrid eyes had wandered into places that she knew she shouldn’t have been looking at. Ingrid mentally berated herself for even doing such a thing and had half a mind to close the door on Dorothea.

“My eyes are up here, darling. Though, I wouldn’t mind if you kept looking.” Dorothea gave her a wink and a knowing smile.

Ingrid wanted to hide away under her bed. Maybe she should follow Bernadetta’s example, at least for a week and just hide from the rest of the world. This was honestly very embarrassing for her. What if Sylvain really was rubbing off on her? Goddess knows Dorothea absolutely hated being hit on by Sylvain and Ingrid didn't want Dorothea to suddenly avoid her because of it.

"I...I apologize, it was just hard not to look since you're absolutely stunning tonight and… not that you’re not stunning everyday but..." Ingrid dug her own grave. Maybe she should have just shut her mouth and feigned ignorance. Suddenly, something soft was pressed upon her lips. She could feel Dorothea's fingers and a part of herself suddenly wanted to faint on the spot.

"There's nothing to apologize for and I'll take that as a compliment." Dorothea sweetly smiled at her before her eyes darted back towards Ingrid's room. Nothing seemed to be amiss and now Dorothea could only wonder what had caused Ingrid to scream.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Dorothea once again asked and under her gaze Ingrid couldn't help but tell her the truth.

"It was just a nightmare." Ingrid briefly looked away in shame. She didn't want Dorothea to know about the nightmares nor anyone else for that matter. They've always known her as brave and indomitable, Ingrid never wanted that to change. She always found pleasure in being relied on by everyone else. It made her feel as if she chose the right path.

Dorothea looked at Ingrid in silence. A nightmare and most likely not the first time it had happened. That would explain the dark circles that started to appear under Ingrid's eyes these past few days. Dorothea looked around their immediate vicinity. It doesn't seem that anyone else had been woken up by Ingrid.

"How about I spend the night with you?" Dorothea asked. "I don't exactly know if it would help but… having a spear made of bone as your bedside buddy seems counterproductive against nightmares wouldn't you agree?"

Dorothea got her there. Ingrid couldn't even think of a logical and acceptable reason to refute it.

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul. This can be our little secret." Among many. Dorothea knew a fair share of Ingrid's insecurities and troubles. She knew Ingrid disliked someone else knowing about such things and so Dorothea mostly kept her observations to herself.

"Well… that's awfully generous of you but..." It's not that she disliked the notion of Dorothea sleeping beside her. She just disliked the feeling of being a burden towards the taller girl.

"I don't want to be a burden. Really, Dorothea your concern is more than enough."

"Ingrid, you’ll never be a burden.” If Dorothea must endlessly repeat that sentiment in order to reassure Ingrid then she would. Oh, but forcing other people had never been her style if Ingrid won’t allow her to sleep beside her for the night then a compromise was in order. 

“Tell you what, how about I just stay with you until you fall asleep? I promise, once you fall asleep and I’m sure that you aren’t stuck inside a nightmare again I’ll go back to my room.”

Ingrid pondered on it for a moment. Dorothea was quite the stubborn woman but she was grateful that she knew how to give way. At least this arrangement made her feel less of a burden to Dorothea.

“Alright… I appreciate this…” Because Ingrid knew just how much she needed someone right now and she was thankful that Dorothea had been there at the right time. Ingrid gestured for the brunette to come inside before she closed the door. She felt nervous about this whole engagement. For some reason her heartbeat never stopped being erratic since earlier. 

How could she possibly expect herself to sleep? And let herself get away with the fact that she had actually checked Dorothea out. It was improper for her to do so, even though Dorothea clearly said that it was fine if she stared that didn’t mean that she should have in the first place.

Meanwhile, Dorothea sat near the edge of the bed, legs crossed one over the other as she patiently waited for Ingrid to settle at the spot next to her. This wasn’t the first time she was invited inside Ingrid’s room but somehow she felt a bit restless. She tried to convince herself that it could have been due to the wine from earlier. After all, she and Edie might have had just a tad bit too much enough to make Hubert frown at her when she left the Imperial princess’ room.

In the end, the two of them sat far apart from each other in complete silence. Ingrid couldn’t find it in herself to sleep not after the nightmare and especially not with Dorothea there. The brunette on the other hand didn’t want to leave Ingrid, she could handle not having her beauty sleep for the night. What were a few hours of sleep lost to making sure that your friend wouldn’t feel alone?

Friends, that’s what they were. Dorothea lets that sink in for now. There was nothing between her and Ingrid, they were just friends. In all honesty, she had no obligation to be this stubborn for Ingrid’s wellbeing. She could just walk away already and Ingrid wouldn’t think of her any less but Dorothea didn’t want to. She wasn’t doing this because she wanted to be more than just a  _ friend _ to her. No, she genuinely wished to take care of her and it didn’t matter if they would never be more than friends. This was enough for her; it was enough for her to let the girl feel that someone out there would be willing to be at her lowest points.

Ingrid kept glancing towards Dorothea’s direction. She couldn’t understand why Dorothea would go this far for her. It was way past midnight and she knew how important it was for Dorothea to get enough rest. Still, the brunette continued to be stubborn and never left. Ingrid felt awful about it but at the same time she really was grateful for Dorothea’s presence. If she had been alone after that nightmare, she was sure it would have only made her feel worse than she already did. At least with Dorothea here she felt safe. She felt that it was fine for her to be scared even just for tonight.

Silence reigned for a few more minutes before Dorothea broke the silence with a song. Ingrid turned her head towards her direction. Her voice had always been incredible. It was music to her ears. It was sweet, inviting, and eased her heart; that was what Ingrid had thought the first time she heard Dorothea sing. 

The first time Ingrid had heard her sing was purely by chance. She wanted to be alone after they dealt with Miklan. That particular encounter left a mark on her; one she’d never admit to anyone except Dorothea. It just didn’t occur to her that perhaps she wasn’t the only one that felt that way. It was in the middle of the night and Ingrid was on the way to the training grounds, thinking that maybe it would be for the best if she tired herself out instead. But, once she was near she had heard someone’s voice despite the fact that no one seemed to be there. At first she had thought it was a ghost but the more she listened the further she was drawn towards it until she found herself looking at Dorothea from afar. Her voice easily washed away the unease and discomfort she had felt that when she finally stopped singing Ingrid felt that there was no need for her to even tire herself out.

She loved hearing her sing. She didn’t ask for Dorothea to stop. Ingrid closed her eyes and savored every single moment, letting herself forget about the nightmare and only remember this particular scene.

_ As the wind blows _

_ May the goddess hear our wishes, dreams, and hopes _

_ As the river flows _

_ Let our broken dreams alight _

  
  


“Aren’t you tired of me yet?” Dorothea asked as she looked at Ingrid with a somber expression on her face. “I mean… All I’ve been doing is forcing myself into your life just like now.”

“You always have the option to… well say this particular arrangement of ours isn’t working out.” Dorothea wouldn’t be surprised if Ingrid just tolerated her after all this time. Dorothea was well aware of how pushy she could be and given the amount of time that had passed, after she sobered up she realized that maybe she overstepped her bounds for tonight.

“What? Of course not!” Ingrid reached for Dorothea’s hand and gently squeezed it. “Dorothea, believe me when I tell you that… I’m actually glad that you’re forceful. I mean, I’m not saying that I’m into…”

How many times had she dug her own grave today? Ingrid had to pause for a moment. She wanted to find the right words to tell her but somehow whenever she tried to open her mouth and speak, it ends up being such a mess.

“I love your presence in my life. I love that you go through all this effort for me and… I don’t even know how to repay you. How could I possibly match that?” Ingrid was a good warrior. Give her an axe, a lance, a sword? She can take down anyone. But when it came to social interactions? She might as well be as worse as Felix was. 

“I… don’t think it’s even possible for me to ever get tired of you.”

Dorothea was at a complete loss for words. Did Ingrid just reveal her innermost feelings? Pinch her, she must be dreaming. Ingrid loved her presence in her life, loved her existence in it. That must have been the sweetest thing she’d ever told her before. Heck, it might actually be the sweetest thing anyone has ever told her before. Sure, maybe some of her suitors made use of that line but it was different when it came from Ingrid.

Oh, but doubt was Dorothea’s best friend. How could anyone not be tired of her? She was pushy, shallow, arrogant at times, quite mean if she felt like it. Why if anyone ever wanted to confirm all they had to do was just ask Ferdinand or Sylvain they’d agree to it. She wasn’t exactly kind nor was she someone special. She was just a commoner that curried favor from a noble so she could enroll in the academy and possibly secure a future for herself, an opportunist at heart. She was beautiful yes, but that doesn’t last. She had a great voice but someday she wouldn’t be able to sing like she used to and then what? What would be left of her that she could be proud of? 

Absolutely nothing.

“...would you still say that if I couldn’t sing anymore? When all I can offer to you is just plain ol’ me. Without the pretty face and the voice to match.” Dorothea wondered. Would she? Did Ingrid meant it when she said that it would be impossible for her to ever get tired of her? Because aside from those two things, she had nothing. She had a good sword arm but there were other people that were far more talented than her in that department, if Ingrid needed a partner in battle she wasn’t the first choice. Dorothea wasn’t even sure if she was Ingrid’s first choice to begin with.

“Yes.” Ingrid said without an ounce of hesitation that Dorothea felt her heart skip a beat. “Even without your pretty face or your beautiful voice, I won’t get tired of you. Sure you’re annoying at times, pushy really but… I truly enjoy being with you and that won’t change.”

Ingrid gently cupped her cheek and Dorothea felt herself stiffen with the contact. Ingrid had never done this before in fact this was the very first time Dorothea had felt how warm Ingrid’s hand was. What was she supposed to do now? Should she take this as some sort of sign that maybe she remotely had a chance with Ingrid?

In fact, Ingrid was suddenly awfully close to her. Dorothea doesn’t know if Ingrid was even aware of their proximity or the effect this all had on her. This was the closest they had ever been to each other and the brunette honestly had no idea on what to do. If this had been someone else, she would have easily dealt with them but this was Ingrid, the girl that had no real interests in these kinds of things. The girl she was so interested in, the one she didn’t want to drive away. Oh, but Dorothea wanted to take the bait. She wanted to lean closer until their lips brushed against one another but she couldn’t.

Not without Ingrid’s permission. So Dorothea settled for awkwardly staring at the girl, waiting for what else she’d say and do with bated breath. 

Meanwhile, Ingrid had hoped that Dorothea would have initiated something because she had absolutely no idea what she should do next. In fact, she was swarmed with so many emotions that she doesn’t even know exactly what she felt for Dorothea. Ingrid was well aware that she outright blurted towards the girl that she’d never tire of her. Come to think of it, there were a lot of things she wanted to tell Dorothea that she couldn’t really put into words. 

Like how much she appreciated her constant concern for her wellbeing. How she had come to realize the importance of her presence within her life. How she wouldn’t mind looking out for her even after their days in the monastery. Ingrid wanted to make her feel that she was important.

Ingrid’s eyes darted down towards Dorothea’s lips. A very dangerous thought presented itself to her and what’s worse was that she highly considered it. Because if she couldn’t put what she felt into words then what if she tried doing so via actions? Ingrid leaned closer, their lips almost centimeters away from each other. 

Dorothea had to muster whatever was left of her self-control in order to stop herself from doing something she might regret. But it was so hard to do so when Ingrid was giving her so many mixed signals that she had no idea what to make of it. Was this an invitation for her to just crash her lips onto hers? What if Ingrid was just messing with her for all the times she teased the girl? God, she hated it when her brain decides to be a mess in the most opportune moments for her. She couldn’t take the tension anymore, Dorothea had to do something or else she’ll go insane.

“Ingrid.” Dorothea bit her lip and tried so hard to focus on what she was about to say rather than what she wanted to do to Ingrid. “I want to warn you that if you keep doing… **_This_**_, _whatever **_this_** is that there is a very high chance that I might not wait for any kind of permission from you.”

Ingrid told her months ago that she was never going to grant her any sort of permission to jump her, ever. So Dorothea told herself that she wouldn’t do anything else unless Ingrid allowed her to do so but the situation they were in was absolutely agonizing for her. If this was the goddess’ gift for her birthday then she had absolutely no idea if she should sing praises for her or condemn the goddess for the rest of her life. It all depends on what Ingrid’s answer would be.

Was she going to pull away? Or were they going to do something they’d potentially regret and enjoy at the same time.

“What if… what if I granted you permission?” Because Ingrid had no idea if she should finally listen to that tiny voice in her head and kiss her. Ingrid lets their lips brush against each other and the more they stayed like this, the more she became aware of how much she wanted to try it. 

“...I think, I want to grant you permission. Just for tonight.” 

Just once could be enough right? 

And those were the only words that Dorothea needed to hear as the gap between their lips slowly became nonexistent. Ingrid’s mind went blank as soon as she felt Dorothea’s lips on hers. Their first kiss was slow, clumsy, and awkward, yet it felt absolutely right. Dorothea’s lips were soft, those were the first thoughts that popped inside Ingrid’s head. They were soft and tasted like the sweetest wine that would ever grace her lips. Ingrid didn’t dislike it, not one bit. In fact, she actually liked the feeling of Dorothea’s lips on hers. So much so that she never even protested when Dorothea had pushed her down against the bed. They never realized they wanted each other this badly.

But all good things needed to end. 

Dorothea was the first one to pull away with her cheeks flushed and her breathing ragged. Both girls quickly looked away from each other, the realization of what had transpired struck them like lightning. Ingrid just wanted to hide under her bed now and Dorothea in turn was actually considering scampering back to Edelgard’s room out of sheer embarrassment.

“...I...I’m sorry, I might have taken things too far.” Dorothea said.

“N-no! It was certainly fine, I actually enjoyed it… I mean… oh god…” That was strike three for Ingrid or was it four? If Ingrid kept this up she might have dug enough graves for herself to fill in an entire cemetery. “I don’t mean to sound like Sylvain but it was… very...nice.”

Nice doesn’t even begin to describe what Ingrid truly felt but it would have to do. 

“Oh… you enjoyed it, huh…” Dorothea paused for a bit and settled on the space right next to Ingrid. “Well, I… certainly enjoyed it too and… I wouldn’t mind doing it again with you. That’s if you’d want it.” 

Goddess knows, Dorothea wanted it but she didn’t want Ingrid to feel as if she had no choice on the matter. Just because she enjoyed it doesn’t mean that the girl actually wanted it. 

“...I think I'd like that.” Ingrid said as she shyly tucked a stray strand of hair to the back of her ear. “...I’d want to do it again with you and well maybe not just that.”

Silence one again descended between the both of them. Ingrid realized the gravity of her words and she quickly grabbed her pillow and hid her face behind it. She wasn’t going to let Dorothea see the blush on her cheeks.

“Was that too straightforward?” Ingrid meekly asked from behind the pillow and Dorothea couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “I’m sorry, I just don’t really understand all of this yet. The… the first person I’ve ever felt this way was with Glen and…”

Glen was gone, taken away from her before she could properly comprehend what romance and love was.

“Yes, it was very straightforward but those are one of the things I like about you.” Dorothea grabbed ahold of Ingrid’s hand and gently lifted it to place a small kiss at the back of her palm. Since she had permission for tonight, she might as well make the most out of it. 

“Listen, Ingrid I know this is a bit too much for you. I don’t actually know what exactly are we, what our relationship is right now but… I just want to let you know that in spite of this. If somehow along the way you actually decide that this isn’t what you want, you’re free to tell me.”

For all Dorothea knew this could have been just a spur of the moment decision from Ingrid. What she enjoyed tonight may not be the same thing she’d enjoy tomorrow. Regardless, Dorothea would respect her choice, no matter what it would be.

“Don’t ever think that you’re obligated to entertain my whims and what I feel just because you think that you owe me. You don’t. The times I was there for you? That’s something you don’t have to repay me for.” Dorothea explained. “And I understand if you’re confused, we have all the time in the world to figure this out you know? Even me, I need to figure out what  ** _this_ ** is really all about.”

Because even Dorothea herself didn’t want to jump the gun. Everything sounded nice at first but she didn’t want to settle for something superficial and Ingrid certainly deserved something deeper than that. She was willing to take things slow, see where it’ll all end up. Slowly, Dorothea intertwined her fingers with Ingrid and turned around to give her the sweetest smile that she could show.

“By the way Ingrid, I just wanted to say thank you.” Because Dorothea never expected to enjoy her birthday. She never expected to hear that she was important to someone she was attracted to. She never expected someone would be genuinely happy about her existence. Maybe, Edelgard was right that it would be fine for her to be happy for herself, even if it was just for today.

“For? I should be the one thanking you. If you weren’t here I think I’d just end up as a mess.” A very vulnerable and crying mess after that nightmare. Ingrid sets aside the pillow and lets herself snuggle closer to Dorothea. “And I hope you don’t mind me… being this close to you.”

“I guess we’re both thankful for each other. Ingrid, I wouldn’t mind if you even settled on top of me.” Dorothea jokingly exclaimed to which Ingrid had responded to with a pillow to her face.

“Very funny Dorothea.” But the blush on her cheeks were such a telling sign that she had indeed considered it. “We’re definitely going to be late tomorrow, aren’t we?”

“I think it’d be a miracle if we woke up early to begin with.” Dorothea was sure that their professor would scold them from missing a lecture or two but it was worth it. Dorothea shifted for a bit so she could wrap her arm around Ingrid’s waist. Funny, earlier she wasn’t even allowed to sleep next to her and now here she was letting Ingrid snuggle against her. 

Now that the adrenaline had died down Dorothea found it very hard to keep herself awake. Meanwhile, Ingrid settled in her embrace, basking in the comfort of her warmth. Maybe tonight would be different, maybe the nightmares would disappear even for just a few hours. She was too busy relishing this new sense of security she felt that she didn’t even notice that Dorothea had fallen asleep.

“Hey, Dorothea are you still awake?” No, she wasn’t. Dorothea was fast asleep and Ingrid couldn’t help but somewhat think that she looked adorable.

“I guess not...” Ingrid said as she secretly planted a kiss on her lips. A bold move even for her but Dorothea would never know about it. Ingrid smiled at her form before she once again settled in her embrace, beckoning for sleep to take hold of her as well. “...sweet dreams, Dorothea.”

When morning came, neither one of them had woken up. Their disappearance in class had caused most of their classmates to worry about them that Edelgard was forced to try and find the duo. The Imperial princess wasn’t too worried about Dorothea; she had an inkling that the girl might have wanted to be alone after they finished with the drinks from last night. But Ingrid? The girl never skipped classes and so here she was, right in front of Ingrid’s room and for some reason so were the rest of their class that had followed her.

One knock, two knocks, three knocks. There was no answer. It was unusual for Ingrid not to answer given that the girl usually woke up early. It didn’t help that some of their classmates had voiced out a few concerns that Ingrid acted differently and more exhausted during the past few days. Edelgard contemplated for a moment whether or not she should try breaking Ingrid’s door or not and Hubert had noticed.

“Lady Edelgard, might I advise you to check first if the door is unlocked.” Hubert suggested.

Edelgard did as she was told and to her surprise it was indeed unlocked. Excusing herself she slowly opened the door and the rest of the class were eager to know what they’d find. The moment Edelgard had spotted Ingrid huddling against Dorothea, Edelgard immediately shuts the door and pushed almost everyone aside. Oh, she wasn’t going to let anyone ruin that for the two of them

“I expect everyone to pretend that they absolutely have no idea that we caught the two of them together. Is that understood?” Edelgard stated. Most of her peers nodded at that but she knew one of them would slip and spread it to the whole academy. She could only hope that they wouldn’t do so for at least a day.

“Alright, back to class. I’ll tell the professor we found our two pegasus knights all tuckered out.” Edelgard said before she glanced back towards Ingrid’s door, a subtle smile gracing the princess’ face. “Happy Birthday, Dorothea. I hope it at least gave you a trickle of happiness.”

Indeed, it gave her a trickle of happiness within a sea of conflict. And that was more than Dorothea could ever hope for.

**Author's Note:**

> Just in case, Dorothea's song here is sort of just a rehashed version of Rhea's Song because I can't for the life of me really write impromptu lyrics.
> 
> I wanted to really play around with Dorothea and Ingrid's dynamic and the result was this mess of a fic. Other than that, we took the liberty of exploring how a Heroes' Relic could affect someone since in one of Catherine's supports she mentions that whenever she uses Thunderbrand she feels that she loses part of her soul and given what happened to Miklan we sorta wanted to use it for angst. Still we had loads of fun writing it and we hope you guys managed to enjoy! 
> 
> Y'all can yell at me on [twitter!!](https://twitter.com/seibaaanobu) as usual.


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